- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 22 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an air quality assessment is required to comply with EU regulations on new road developments and whether such an assessment has been carried out in relation to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Answer
The requirement for assessment of air quality impacts is set out in Schedule 4 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations and Annex IV of Council Directive 85/337/EEC as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC.
Full details of the assessment and the findings for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route can be found in the Environmental Statement which can be viewed on the project website (www.awpr.co.uk).
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on the value of the land associated with the current Forth Road Bridge, its approach roads and of the materials constituting the bridge and whether the value of these assets could be realised when a replacement crossing has been opened.
Answer
The Forth Road Bridge is a Grade A listed structure and is managed and maintained by FETA.
Advice has not beensought on the value of the associated land, its approach roads or the material constitutingthe bridge.
The future of theForth Road Bridge will be decided once the on-going works and studies regarding the bridgecables has been completed.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the health and safety implications of the various options for the future of the current Forth Road Bridge when a replacement crossing has been opened and, in particular, whether any option might constitute a hazard to any shipping using the Forth.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3813 on 20 September 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.No detailed assessmenthas been carried out at this stage on the health and safety implications for thefuture of the Forth Road Bridge.
Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area andcan be contacted if required.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what options have been considered for the future of the current Forth Road Bridge when a replacement crossing has been opened and what the cost and environmental implications are of each option.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3813 on 20 September 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area andcan be contacted if required.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the current Forth Road Bridge when a replacement crossing has been opened.
Answer
A range of optionsare potentially available for the existing Forth Road Bridge, including supplementing the multi-modal uses of the Forth Crossings. Theseare being looked at carefully in the context of the urgent need for a replacementcrossing and ensuring both the timing and level of investment is prudently deployed.
A short summary ofpotential options is included in Chapter 6 of Report 4 of the Forth ReplacementCrossing Study.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for decisions to be made on each wind farm proposal that has been referred to ministers through public inquiries or under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.
Answer
Under Section 36of the Electricity Act 1989, Scottish ministers are responsible for thegranting or refusal of applications for consent for electricity generation.There is no published timetable set for Scottish ministers to make thesedecisions, however, they are required by legislation to be satisfied that theyhave considered all relevant factors before taking their decision.
For applicationsmade under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, local authorities decide the vast majority of planningapplications. Scottish ministers have a general power to intervene by callingin applications for their own determination where they consider such actionnecessary. Where a planning application has been called in and a report isreturned to Planning Directorate, following a public local inquiry, Scottish ministers’published targets are to provide a decision on 80% of applications in two monthsand 100% of applications in three months.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ask a body independent of Transport Scotland, such as Audit Scotland, to carry out reviews of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project and the M74 extension.
Answer
There is no specificreview planned for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route orthe M74 extension project.
Transport Scotland continues to monitor all projects to ensure proper financialcontrol and management as well as to deliver value for money for Scottish taxpayers.That is part of the normal natural and necessary business of good government.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money has been spent on purchasing land and property in preparation for the building of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Answer
To date, £1.69 millionhas been spent purchasing two residential properties.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific guidance it has given to Transport Scotland on the remit and scope of the reviews of major transport infrastructure projects.
Answer
Transport Scotlandreviews its portfolio of major road and rail projects on a quarterly basis and providesupdates to ministers. Transport Scotland operates withinits Framework Document, Corporate Plan and the requirements of the Scottish PublicFinance Manual.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Transport Scotland financial review of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project will (a) begin and (b) be completed and what the terms are of the review.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1348 on 24 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.